SweetWater 420 Extra Pale Ale is
the brewery's our most popular brew. This brew is a tasty West Coast Style Pale
Ale with a stimulating hop character and a crisp finish. This ale was first brewed on April
20th, 1997 thus the name 420(That's their story and they are sticking to it). It
pours golden yellow with a quickly dissipating white head. It’s nose is filled
with floral hops with light citrus and malt notes. Nice hop character up front
with a malty and yeasty finish. The finish is short, this is a perfect beer for
hot summer days. Not to malty or bitter hops to hold you back, this beer can be
enjoyed on the beach while lazing in the sun. ABV:5.4%. Gold Medal Winner
at the 2011 U.S. Open Beer Championship.

Beer Review from Beer Advocate
So I am cruising through Atlanta airport the other day and
stopped at a Chinese restaurant, I want to say in Concourse B. I
have never heard of this brew, and the manager recommended it.
After I slammed it down, I though "Damn that was good, I need to
find it in a glass and take some notes." So I went to the
Chili's above the food court.

Appearance - Poured a nice clear golden color with a decent head
that came and went fairly quickly. Lacing was moderate, not too
much but fairly good.

Aroma - Certainly a strong pop of citrus and floral from the
hops. A bit of a biscuity malt note, maybe even a little Georgia
pine in there. Nice.

Taste - Follows the nose fairly close, although there is an
element of pepper in there as well. The fruity, citrusy notes
are the prime movers, with a hint of malt.

Mouthfeel - Clean, crisp, bitter finish, nice aftertaste.

Overall - I could not have been more surprised. Walking through
an airport in an area not necessarily known for brewing, I
happen upon this tasty little treat brewed right there in
Atlanta. I would certainly recommend this brew to anyone, and I
will drink it again next time I'm in the Atlanta.

SweetWater Brewing Company
SweetWater’s roots began back in Boulder, Colorado in the early 90′s while
Freddy Bensch and Kevin McNerney were roommates at the University of Colorado,
Boulder.

During their time out west, they realized they had more of a hankering for beer
than books. Their first step into the profession was washing kegs on the loading
docks of a local brewery for free beer. Not a bad job when you’re in college!
With all this free beer, their grades went up, their cars got fixed, friends
were plentiful and the sun shined a little brighter. Once they were finished
with school, it was time to either find a real job, or get serious in the
brewing business. Easy choice, right? Freddy and Kevin headed off to the
American Brewers Guild in California aka Brewing School to sharpen up their
knowledge of “Fermentation Science”! After that they were off and running
brewing beer for other breweries around the west coast, learning their craft
while keeping the dream of their own place alive.

In the summer of 1996, the energy
and action of the Olympics brought Freddy to Atlanta. He found this town in need
of a West Coast style brewery and knew that he and Kevin were just the guys to
turn the local brewing scene on its ear with the hoppy, aggressive ales they had
been brewing for years.

The boys scraped together (with the help of generous friends, family and loans)
just enough money go get started and the first brewery for SweetWater was off of
Fulton Industrial Boulevard, on Atlanta’s west side. As they were building their
very own brewery, Freddy sought a little cool relief by kayaking down Sweetwater
Creek, in a state park just west of the brewery. The name of the brewery became
obvious and the motto “Don’t Float the Mainstream” became the guide.

February 17, 1997 marked the official beginning of SweetWater Brewery, and a new
style of brewing and selling beer in Atlanta as the boys wandered around Atlanta
in an old van with Freddy’s dog Badger. After ending up on the wrong side of the
tracks a few times, they were finally pointed in the direction of
Virginia-Highlands and found a few bars willing to take a chance on them. “We’ll
give you a shot as long as your dog stops begging for leftovers on our patio”
was the cautious approval they needed to get the brand rolling.

SweetWater’s second and current location is in Midtown Atlanta, adjacent to
Ansley Park, in the Armour Circle Industrial Park just off of Piedmont and
Monroe. The boys saved all of their pennies to buy the 25,000 square feet of
brewing goodness and smack in the middle of all the action. Since the company
began we’ve wanted to be closer to our homes, the bars and stores that sell our
beer, and all the good folks that drink it. Fortunately seven years of great
growth gave the company that opportunity. We learned a lot from that location
and left all those mistakes behind as we built our new home. SweetWater Brewing
Company has been here since 2004 and it feels good to be settled in. Our new
home had enough capacity to brew 100,000 barrels of beer a year, but in 2013, we
expanded to be capable of brewing upto a half a million barrels a year.